People Movers 2

Here was the first in this series, from quite a while back.   The next two photos below were taken late last week by Brian DeForest.

Miss New York, Blount built in 1993 leaves the Statue quite dramatically.

Ferry Lt. Samuel S. Coursen, Mathis built 1956, was named for this West Point grad.

That’s Explorer of the Seas in the background.

Water Taxi and NYC Audubon operate this winter cruise to watch the water mammal between the boat and my lens.

Seals in the harbor are the real people movers.

And finally, let’s move from those mammals to one painted on the ferry Major General  William H. Hart, Staten-Island built 1926 . . . now rebranded as SS Meow Man.

On pages 450-1 of Peter& Norma Stanford’s A Dream of Tall Ships–which I reviewed here– there’s a description of this vessel’s hand-over from the USCG to South Street Seaport, where for a period of time it served as a marine trades training school, partly funded by Brooke Astor.  Here was a post where I used a slightly different version of this Hart photos.

Thanks to Brian for use of the first two photos.  All others by Will Van Dorp.

Gallimaufry 3

. . . aka a jumble.

I took the foto below of Stephen  L. Colby (St. Louis, MO-built, 1967, 144′ x 40′) on 1/4/2013 in Cairo, IL.  Yesterday, the boat sank into 14 feet of water farther north on the Mississippi.

Below, s/v Concetta meets Charles D. McAllister (Jacksonville, FL, 1967, 94′ x 29′)  in late October.

Twin Tube (Blount, 1951, 64′ x 19′)  passes the polytube rack.  If you click on the link in the previous sentence, you’ll see the very next completed Blount project was of Ceres, a “grain elevator.”  A google search turned up no fotos.  Anyone know of any?

I took this foto a week and a half ago.  Currently, Grande Sierra Leone has left Dakar bound for Cotonou, passing the older Grande Buenos Aires en route.

Bow Hector in the Kills a few days ago . . . now in Morehead City.   Bow! Hector!

Taft Beach . . . shuttling dredge spoils, inbound.

Sludge tanker North River noses past 118,000-bbl  barge Charleston.

On Marathon Day, this was Explorer of the Seas ( I think) approaching the Narrows, as seen past the stern of Transib Bridge.

A few days ago . . . it’s Challenge Paradise.   I wonder if that’s ever a command. . . .

And at the same moment, crude oil tanker Felicity.   By the way, I passed between felicity and challenge paradise . ..  steering clear.   Both vessels are currently southbound off the coast of the Carolinas.

Finally, in the Buttermilk, it’s MAST’s r/v Blue Sea, passing Wilson Newcastle and McAllister Responder.    Responder and Charles D. are two of the triplets built near the end of the run at Gibbs Gas Engine, currently a place to sleep and stroll.   The last time I saw Roderick-the third triplet– in the sixth boro was here.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.

Looking for Mischief

Here’s my response to bowsprite’s post on Albany-bound ships . . .  she drew a TEN tanker called Afrodite, but when I came looking–more on that later–I saw only Apollon, not necessarily Albany bound.

I saw MOL Encore, again bound for Asia.

I found Maersk Memphis . . . until very recently Maersk Kwangyang.

I noticed C. Angelo passing Explorer of the Seas.

I noticed workers walking the cables of the

VZ Bridge . . . .

Then I had obligations and headed over to Staten Island and caught Dalian Express passing Maemi II.

I was there when Hanjin Nagoya headed underneath the Bayonne Bridge, as did a pack

of Moran boats . . .  .

And only later did I find Mischief–S/V Mischief, or I think that’s her, sailed by Harry and John.   But that’s when I found  . . . if not more mischief then misfortune.

the Bayonne Bridge walkway/bikeway . . . is now closed!!  I wish they’d put up a re-opening date . . .  8/5/15?  8/5/16?  Until then, there’ll be no more fotos like the last seven here.

All fotos today by Will Van Dorp.

Random Traffic June 2012

Shuttles and warships and barks come and go, but the work in the boro never quits.  Greets to all the crew on Falcon (1970),

Crystal Cutler (2010),

Kimberly Poling (1994),

First Coast (1968) and Grace D,

Mary Turecamo, barge Tennessee, and Explorer of the Seas in the background of several of the shots above,

Cecilia Miller and an unidentified WaterTaxi over by Brooklyn Ferry Landing,

All fotos by will Van Dorp, who will be “on assignment” for a few days.

Meanwhile some ponderables:

Movies to see:  Terraferma (maybe Wednesday night) and Beasts of the Southern Wild . . .

A new radio show to create called Boat Talks . . . now that Tom and Ray are parking it . . .

Cruiser Excitement

From John Watson:  When I saw Explorer of the Seas (EOS) leave the dock, I turned on the NY Harbor webcam to be able to watch it leave port after it exited my window view.  Carnival Glory had not yet left, so I kept the webcam  feed up.  Thirty minutes later I checked on Glory’s progress only to find EOS  on her way back in.  No cruise is THAT short , I thought, so I turned on the marine radio.  The pilot said, “…there were waiting on the pier.”  Late passengers getting VIP treatment?  It turned out to be medics for a sick passenger.  EOS went nose in instead of stern first, as it usually does. 

Meanwhile Carnival Glory was outbound.  Waiting for Glory south of the Statue was Firefighter II  spraying water . . . I heard …

…for a couple on Glory. The couple must be special in order to get a water display.

Thanks, John.  My addition . . . passengers on Explorer of the Seas got a special treat:  three times exploring the underside of the Verrazano Bridge on one leg bound for sea.  Also, in the first foto, notice  Meagan Ann pushing a scow?  Time elapse from the first to the fourth foto was less than an hour.